I bring you a Valentine’s Love Special today! I talk to you about love in the context of self-love, self-compassion and gratitude. I also touch on romantic love, and I talk about how the ego affects our ability to receive and to give love.
I bring you a Valentine’s Love Special today! I talk to you about love in the context of self-love, self-compassion and gratitude. I also touch on romantic love, and I talk about how the ego affects our ability to receive and to give love.
By giving ourselves love and compassion, we allow ourselves to step closer to being love as a state. We get to love as a state of being by practising self-compassion and self-love.
Amongst the practises that promote self-compassion and self-love are prioritizing yourself, giving yourself a break from self-judgment, setting healthy boundaries and using positive affirmations.
I discuss the benefits of opening our heart chakras, and offer ways in which we can do this. I also take you through a heart opening guided meditation.
Topics:
00:00:00 Intro
00:05:21 Love as a state of being
00:06:55 Self-compassion
00:07:11 Language and self-compassion
00:08:31 Dr. Kristen Neff and self-compassion
00:18:00 Practising self-compassion
00:24:05 Self-love
00:25:12 Prioritizing yourself
00:27:18 Giving yourself a break from self-judgment
00:39:51 Setting healthy boundaries
00:32:05 Positive affirmations
00:32:40 Romantic Love
00:32:49 Heart opening
00:33:57 Heart opening meditation
00:40:33 Unblocking the heart – letting go of grudges and forgiving
00:41:52 Unblocking the heart – releasing pain from a previous relationship
00:43:03 Unblocking the heart – releasing expectation
00:44:44 The 5 Love Languages
00:47:59 Exponential benefits of gratitude
00:48:41 Exponential benefits of gratitude – improved Sleep
00:49:37 Exponential benefits of gratitude – lowered blood pressure
00:50:12 Mental health benefits of gratitude – increased self-esteem
00:51:11 Emotional benefits of gratitude
00:51:54 Managing our egos when interacting with others
00:54:18 Conclusions
Online resources:
Infinite Mindcare, Cayman Islands: https://www.infinitemindcare.com
Alex Panton Foundation, Cayman Islands: https://alexpantonfoundation.ky
Loud Silent Voices, Cayman Islands: http://www.lsv.support
Dr. Kristin Neff: https://self-compassion.org
Dr. Kristin Neff lecture, Berkeley Wellbeing Institute: https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/self-compassion.html
DLD College London: https://www.dldcollege.co.uk
The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Standford: http://ccare.stanford.edu
Emma Seppala, Why Some People Always Look so Darn Young and How They Do It, published in Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-it/201805/why-some-people-always-look-so-darn-young-and-how-they-do-it?utm_source=Heleo%20Daily%20Digest&utm_campaign=f27c5d49b7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_01_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1651f20312-f27c5d49b7-216779045&mc_cid=f27c5d49b7&mc_eid=519bb2c215
Best Day Psychiatry and Counselling, Self-Compassion and Your Mental Health: https://bestdaypsych.com/self-compassion-and-your-mental-health/
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, Self-Love and What it Means: https://www.bbrfoundation.org/blog/self-love-and-what-it-means
Lindsay Staples, The Reason to Avoid Self-Judgment, published in Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/make-your-mind/202108/the-real-reason-avoid-self-judgment
Alyssa Mairanz, Turning off Self Judgment, Empower Your Mind Therapy: https://eymtherapy.com/blog/self-judgment/
Science of People, How to Set Boundaries: 5 Ways to Draw the Line Politely: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/how-to-set-boundaries/
Dr. Susanne Wolf, Instagram: mymentalhealthspace
Nature Sound Retreat, Heart Chakra Frequency: https://naturesoundretreat.com/heart-chakra-frequency/
5 Love Languages: https://5lovelanguages.com
Research.com, 35 Scientific Benefits of Gratitude: Mental Health Research Findings: https://research.com/education/scientific-benefits-of-gratitude
Lloyd and Atkins, Gratitude influences sleep through the mechanism of pre-sleep cognitions, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2009
Chen and Wu, Gratitude enhances change in athletes’ self-esteem: The moderating role of trust in coach, published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2014
The University of Texas at El Paso, Ego Love vs Authentic Love: https://www.utep.edu/healthy-miner/Resources/ego-love-vs-authentic-love.html
Science and Non-Duality, The Ego Cannot Love: https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/article/the-ego-cannot-love
Space BVI, Sarah Thompson and Felice Swapp: https://spacebvi.com
Book:
Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements
Music:
Deva Premal, Aham Prema
Note:
Whilst this show is about raising mental health awareness, I am not a medical doctor and am not qualified to give mental health advice. If you are experiencing any mental health issues, please consult a qualified professional.
Contact:
Reach out to me with your comments on my show here: shuvradeb82@gmail.com